Underwater immersions for the blind and marine areas for disabled people

The underwater environment is no longer off-limits for disabled people thanks to various initiatives being carried out along Italy’s coasts. The protected marine areas from the Cinque Terre (Liguria) to Plemmirio (Sicily) are offering people with various disabilities the chance to experience the sea, just like everyone else. Specifically, the marine area in the Cinque Terre proposes an underwater route that has been especially equipped for people with motor and sensory problems.

The route is about 200 meters from the coast at Punta Corone, near Monterosso, and takes about 45-50 minutes. It is indicated on the surface by a black buoy, where boats can be moored. The route’s technical characteristics are: an oval circuit of about 200 meters at a depth of between 9 and 18 meters (to take part, all that is needed is a 1st level ´open water´ license). Divers can follow a reference point which consists of a cable supported by fifteen 60-cm-high posts so that they don’t hit the seabed with their equipment.

And there’s no lack of flora and fauna along the route. There are grouper, crayfish and moray eels to be seen, but also madrepores, like Cladocora caespitosa, to be touched, as well as the caress of the leaves of Posidonia oceanica. (For information, www.parconazionale5terre.it ). Special attention is dedicated to blind people in the Plemmirio area at Ortigia (Syracuse), where the Consortium has begun the ´Liberi di Volare’ (Free to Fly) project. It is a special underwater route in which what happens on the seabed is described on panels in Braille. Before going down, the scuba divers are instructed by experts in an oral session and on a form written in English and Italian Braille. In the Cape Meli and Punta Mola areas (zone B of the protected area) there are also two tactile routes, two underwater walks of 100 meters that take about 40 minutes to complete with slow movements so that the beauties of the seabed can be fully enjoyed.

During “Estate Disabili 2008”, the Plemmirio consortium (www.plemmirio.it) also launched Aquavision, the special trimaran with a transparent base, which makes it possible for disabled people to experience the excitement of virtual immersions accompanied by specialist staff. Moving from Sicily to Sardinia, in the Asinara National Park courses for disabled people are also held by HAS Italia, the Italian association for underwater and swimming activities for disabled people, which has been operating in this field for many years.